BALTIMORE—The number of adults consuming sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and punches has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, said a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Researchers examined changes over the past two decades in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption based on nationally representative survey data and found that sugar-sweetened beverages comprise a significant source of total daily beverage intake and are the largest source of beverage calories consumed daily. The results are published in the January 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study also examined trends in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption by age, race/ethnicity and weight loss intention. Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was highest among young adults, who consumed roughly 20 percent of their sugar-sweetened beverage calories at work, and lowest among the elderly. Among race/ethnicity groups, the percentage of sugar-sweetened beverage drinkers and per capita consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was highest among blacks followed by Mexican Americans. Overweight/obese adults who were trying to lose weight were less likely to drink sugar-sweetened beverages compared to those who were not, but they still consumed a considerable amount from 1999 to 2004.
